Gay Marriage Supporters Plan Proposition 8 Protests For Saturday

From USA Today:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thousands of gay-marriage supporters plan to take to the streets Saturday to protest gay-marriage bans in California, Arizona and Florida.

Protesters are focusing on California, where the state Supreme Court declared same-sex marriages legal in May before voters tossed them out Nov. 4.

California's Proposition 8, which passed 52.2% to 47.8%, "eliminates (the) right of same-sex couples to marry."

Proponents of same-sex marriage say its passage has only energized the gay rights movement. Activists are using a grass-roots network of websites, e-mails and text messages to coordinate protests in about 300 cities -- from Fayetteville, Ark., to Omaha.

Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic says he will be covering the protests tomorrow.

Tomorrow, a virally-generated national day of protest across America is taking shape to protest the attack on the core civil rights of a small minority in California. It's a protest to demand equal treatment under the law for gay couples. It's a radical demand for a traditional institution and also a protest against those who seek to impose religious restrictions on civil law. It is a defense of both religious freedom and the freedom of those whom many (but not all) religions condemn.

The Dish will devote Saturday to covering the protests. Please send me stories, anecdotes, photographs, music, Youtubes, and graphics that reflect what's going on around the country. As on election day, we'll try and let you speak via this blog to the wider world, and convey a sense from the ground up of how people are feeling and arguing and acting.

Comments

[beep4jeep]

Where can I see a list of the people/companies who supported "No on 8", I think I would like to boycott them. I'm already boycotting Brad Pitt, he is tired and old anyways....

[Giada]

The religious / christian argument as stated by the Mormon Church, (Schubert), is that they are, "Pro marriage, but not anti-gay."

Churches do not have ownership or exclusivity on the word, "marriage." It may be used as a religious term, but also legal, social, contractual, (with or without a ceremony).

I'm hoping this becomes a major tipping point to keep churches out of politics and our politicians from using religion to advance their political positions.

[dicknet]

I think someone should start a ballot initiative to restore REAL traditional marriage, which, at a minimum, should include the following:

1. Reinstate polygamy. After all, many biblical patriarchs had multiple wives. Sorry, ladies, only men would be eligible for multiple spouses.
2. No more divorce on demand. The Bible says, "I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel." The only biblically acceptable ground for divorce is "marital unfaithfulness". That's good enough for me.
3. Death penalty for adultery. Per Leviticus 20:10: If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. Enough said.

I am dead serious about this. People must be shown how ridiculous the notion of "traditional marriage" is and what happens when you start down the slippery slope of using religion to establish public policy.

[Cybersquirt]

Don't forget arranged marriages and dowerys.

[pangursperson]

LOL, I second the motion!

[MagisterLudi]

Since you arguing strict Buyble interpretation.....
Funny you forgot to mention laws against so d o m y. How convenient.

[rgriego]

Too little too late. Marching down the streets of Hollywood and San Francisco is moot, you are preaching to the choir. How many of these protestors marched the streets of Bakersfield, of Fresno, of the suburbs of Sacramento? How many knocked on the door of that nice elderly couple in Fullerton? How many people engaged the church in their own suburban neighborhood, sat down and talked with the guy at the country club? The Latino social club guys down in LA? The madres con ninos at the park? No one came to my mother's door in Barstow to educate her about Proposition 8. But you better believe she heard about it from her bowling league buddies who heard all about it from their churches and VFW's and Elks Lodges and Mormons knocking on their doors.

They were organized and had a clear message. We were not. Simple as that. We spend way too much time trying to defend and explain our lives and why we deserve "marriage" or whatever you want to call it, but until we distill our message to the bare facts, "It is our civil right, period" we will continue to be pummelled by those who have honed their soundbite skills to drive their message swiftly and accurately into the brains of those who do not think on their own.

[rdsathene]

"The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage," or the Capitalist Case?
http://tech.mit.edu/V124/N5/kolasinski.5c.html

The MIT article exposes itself all the more when you consider the doctorate the author is working on. His thesis is quite simple and rehashes what the revolutionary left has said for over a century, albeit from the vantage of the oppressors.

Capital always needs exploitable labor, but doesn't want to pay for its reproduction. It uses the state (formed for capitals' common interests) to subsidize the cost of reproducing the next generation of labor. LGBT people, according to Kolasinski, supposedly aren't contributing to the labor pool, and hence shouldn't be "subsidized." Never mind that in the regressive tax structure we live under such subsidies actually come out of our pockets anyway, his argument is surprisingly honest in terms of how their class views ours: work, breed, work...

Kolasinski then takes out insurance at the end of his piece with oft repeated, "if we let them marry, then what's next?" A reactionary straw-man that frequently devolves into discussions of bestiality and what have you.

As a straight, married, Californian, I will be standing alongside my LGBT sisters and brothers on Saturday. An injury to one is an injury to all!

[thevealchop]

don't forget colorado

[IronMikeHouston]

The people have spoken and gay marriage is no longer allowed in California. I'm from Texas but I spent the last week in California and I noticed a lot of these protesters aren't very beautiful people. I realize not everyone can look as beautiful as me but a lot of these protesters are plain ugly and I seriously doubt that anyone (male, female or it) could find a willing partner to marry. No law can solve that problem.

[rextrek]

Oh really - and there are soooo many beautiful straight people? huh?

[RogerTheShrubber]

Time to go clear some brush, Mike. Thanks for your insightful comment.

[indothinker]

you do realize how ridiculous your post sounds, don't you? if you were trying to funny it didn't work.

[ramal]

Gay men and women across the nation are finally saying, "Enough is enough! WE WILL NO LONGER BE SECOND-CLASSS CITIZENS!" Take it to the streets and God Speed.

[bluguy8]

its back to the days of the Stonewall . Prop 8 has brought back activism . Repeal Prop 8

[klandish]

It's back to Stonewall. But this time it's 2008 and it's going Global and in the hundreds of thousands.

[shockmagog]

This is about equal rights. If you take away a right from another person--a right that you take for granted...

Well, you see what happens.

No need for irrelevant and distracting hypothetical questions, or putting up straw man arguments to "prove" a point you cannot win.

If you take away a person's right, then you'd better be ready for a fight.

It's really quite simple.

[SUIGENEROUSLA]

this is first time in over 100 years of US history that an existing civil right has been taken away via a popular vote...the last time I can find is when women had existing voting rights taken away via popular vote (that included women) in certain states before the 19th ammendment in 1920.

[Cybersquirt]

Stand and be COUNTED!
http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

[JackHarkness]

Finally! So glad to see that solidarity demos are breaking out like wildfire across the whole country!

I heard on the radio earlier that there is a website where one can go to find out the times and places for the nearest demonstration. Can anyone here provide that url?

[Cybersquirt]

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

[JackHarkness]

Thanks for providing exactly the link I was looking for so that I may protest in a demo in Oregon tomorrow! I truly appreciate your activism tonight in providing these links across the site. You do so remind me of a similarly kind and thoughtful friend I once knew so long ago and far away...;)

[rewired04]

As you wake up today, hold you head high.

Today is your day.

Today is a day for all men and women in the GLBT community to lift their voice and be heard as one.

Today is not for those that seek to oppress us. It is not a day for those that would take a step backwards in the fight for equality.

Today is your day.

So put you best foot forward and be proud.

Be proud of your community. Be proud that in this country you can protest and fight for equal rights. Be proud to be a gay American.

Look back to the brave courage of those that fought for rights at Stonewall.

Look back to the strong men and women that fought an unknown epidemic that would come to be known as HIV/AIDS.

Look back to those who have died for simply being who they are like Mathew Shepherd.

Look back to the courage and convictions of those that have fought for us throughout history

And-Look to the future when we will all be looked at as equal.

Today is your day.


Much love and luck to all those going out today to speak out.

Chris Richey

[Cybersquirt]

Stand and be counted!

[Cybersquirt]

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

[RMutt4m]

Are you saying today isn't going to be my day? #$%#&! Yesterday wasn't my day either.

[SUIGENEROUSLA]

Love back at you Chris

[MoreBetter]

Thank you protesters! Your hard work is appreciated all across this country!

[Cybersquirt]

make sure something's not going on in your own city, eh?

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon

[MoreBetter]

Sadly, I didn't know until it was too late that there was a small gathering in my city. The gays need to get out the word...better communication is the key!

[NorthernCross]

The problem with the gay rights main point is that they presume that under the law, the right to same-sex marriage is somehow equal to the right of interracial marriage. That's simply false. The ratifiers of the Fourteenth Amendment passed it into law specifically to outlaw racial discrimination by State governments. They never sought to treat sexual orientation as a protected category in the way that race is. Therefore, Californians are allowed to pass a ban on gay marriage without being answerable to federal law on this issue.

[KevinVT]

The California court used the previous interracial marriage cases as precedent: they established that the right to marry is in the CA constitution.

They also established (for the first time at that level) that sexual orientation IS a suspect class like race, so it demands strict scrutiny under the law.

So wrong on both those points.

[MagisterLudi]

Must Protest! Democratic process is wrong ( f we don't like it). Demand the repeal of California Constitution!
Down with direct democracy. From now on, only gay Californians should be allowed to vote on issues concerning marriage. Go, rah-rah.

[conservativesoncrack]

Not at all the argument that we make.

[NorthernCross]

Then make your case to the people of California! Whether you believe it or not, we're an enlightened people, and a well-reasoned argument will persuade us to do the right thing in time. No need for strong arm tactics like boycotts and blacklists to win here. I just wish gay rights activists could see that.

[wolverine442]

quit 'redefining' mob rule as 'direct democracy'

[NorthernCross]

Quit "redefining" the will of the People as "mob rule".

[SUIGENEROUSLA]

so the Alabama bus boycotts were mob rule too? they were protesting seperate but equal too.

[Cybersquirt]

Democracy does not need to resort to lies and distortions.

[shockmagog]

Pretty nutty, MagisterLudi.

Pretty nutty.

[Cybersquirt]

http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/?t=anon